“Thanks.” I grinned. “What do you think I need to get to fight on a main ticket?” I laughed because Dad had lucked into this when he started out. One of the main ticket fighters got sick, and they needed an opponent. Dad was asked to fill in, and no one expected him to win. When he did, his career took off.
“I think we need to concentrate on your wins right now. Main ticket will come later.” He chuckled. “Shower up, and I’ll see you out there.” He pointed to where Mom was waiting.
“Give me a few.” I nodded as my body was already beginning to ache. It didn’t matter how good of a shape you were in, fighting was hard, and bruises and cuts were normal.
I moved as quick as I could, and when I stepped out of the locker room, Dad was standing with two other men. “Hey E, this is Mike from VitaBar and Chris from V Power Energy Drink. They want to talk about sponsorship.” He smiled. These were good companies, companies that we knew well. Dad stocked their products in the gym already. I grew up sneaking sips of the energy drinks.
“Nice to meet you. We’d like to have dinner and discuss your future. How does that sound?” They smiled and Dad nodded.
“Sounds great.” I was a little too enthusiastic, but this was much more than I’d hoped for. If they were going to sponsor my next series of fights, I’d be able to get into some much bigger arenas. These were companies that you dreamed about finding. The fact that they were already wanting to wine and dine me said they were very interested. I just hope that their interest was in me, and not something my dad hooked up.
ooooooooo
“So, what are we celebrating again?” Chase grinned as we clinked our shot glasses together, and tipped them back. The amber liquid burned as it made its way down.
“I won.” I shrugged as I motioned to the bartender for a refill. She smiled a flirty smile as she came over and honored my request.
“Okay.” Chase chuckled, and repeated the motion.
“I’m a college graduate.” I smirked at the bartender and wagged my brows. “How much for the bottle?”
“Thirty-eight.” She giggled as she reached for an unopened one.
“Done.” I slapped a fifty on the bar.
“Dude, where’d you get that?” Chase coughed and sputtered as I poured us another shot. I was starting to feel them, but I was so high on excitement that I didn’t stop.
“VitaBar.” I tipped the shot back and slammed the empty glass on the bar. “I’m sponsored.”
“Shut up, Dude. Where did you really get that?” Chase shoved my shoulder.
“Didn’t you see the fight? I won. I’m heading to the big leagues; I got killer sponsors.” I pointed to a cut above my eye. “I earned this.”
“So, you fight?” The cute bartender was back, and leaning on the bar in front of me.
“I do.” I leaned closer. “I’m pretty good.”
“Maybe you could show me some time,” she flirted as her pink tongue ran along her lower lip.
“Maybe I could give a private lesson,” I flirted back. I laughed as she walked away to help another customer.
“How’d it go with your mom when you skipped graduation?” Chase knocked the fun right out of the night.
“She was mad at first, but then I won and I think she forgot. She looked just like she did when I was a kid and my dad won. It was weird. It’s like the fights change her.” I shrugged as I poured another shot. I’d lost count at this point and was just trying to get the good feeling back.
The bartender was back, this time with another button open on her top. I could see the purple lace of her bra poking out. “I’m off the clock in a half hour if you want hang out later.” She leaned forward so I could see down her shirt. My dick hardened at the idea, and I spoke before I could second guess it.
She walked away and Chase leaned closer. “If you don’t want to fuck her, I will. I should earn points just by being your friend.”
“Nah. I’m gonna fuck her, I just don’t know how yet. My car isn’t here, remember?” I began trying to decide how this was going to work. I’d gotten Mike and Chris to drop me off here. I knew Chase was meeting me and I assumed he would drive us back. I didn’t plan on a woman being involved.
“There’s always her place?” He shrugged. “Maybe she has a hot roommate and we can all have a good night.”
“Maybe you need to find your own chicks and stop going after the ones who want me.”
“Maybe I was trying to follow your rules, dickweed.” He tossed back another shot. Chase did have a point. I’d made a rule when we first moved in together that women were not allowed to stay over unless they were in a long-term relationship with one of us. It’s harder to shake the one-nighters when they know where you live.
“Eh, I’ll figure something out.” I poured the last of the bottle into our glasses just as the subject of our discussion came sauntering over.
“What’s it going to be, fighter boy?” She rounded the bar and trailed her nails down my arm.
Fire surged inside me, settling in my pants. “I don’t have a ride.” I grinned as I stood and swayed on my feet. I towered over her. She was tinier than she appeared, and if I’d been thinking straight, I probably would have worried that I’d break her.
“Guess it’s good that I do.” She winked before turning around and heading for the door. She looked over her shoulder and licked her lips once more. “You coming?”
“Later.” I turned to Chase. “Don’t worry if I’m not home in the morning. She seems like a wild one.”
“Get her, Easy.” He laughed as I wobbled in Miss Bartender’s wake.
“I don’t even know your name.” I grinned when we reached her car.
“Does it matter?” She shrugged as she climbed in and unlocked my door.
“Guess not,” I mused.
“You can call me Nikki if you want. That’s what my friends call me.” She smiled as she cranked the engine.
“Is that what we are? Friends?” I turned amused eyes on her.
“I don’t know. We’ll see.” She laughed as she began driving through the city. It wasn’t long until we pulled up to a town house. She climbed out and stared at me from the steps. When I didn’t move, she called out, “Coming?”
“I hope so,” I muttered as I climbed out.
ooooooooo
That night was the first of many with Nikki. We never dated, but I could always count on a good time with her. There weren’t expectations for what we were doing, and we always made sure the other left satisfied. Our one rule was it would end when one of us got serious about someone. I didn’t plan on dating. After Liv broke my heart, I promised myself I’d never go through that again. I didn’t know what Nikki’s reasons were, and I never cared enough to ask. What we had was physical, and I planned to keep it that way.
Chapter 4
Easton
“You’re late!” Dad barked as soon as I crossed the threshold.
“By like two minutes.” I rolled my eyes. My alarm didn’t go off, and I’d over- slept this morning. I’d hauled ass to get here, but apparently it didn’t matter.
“Do you want to win this weekend?” Dad’s arms lifted and then dropped to his sides.
I refused to answer as I carried my bag over to the ring. I kicked my shoes off and tossed my shirt, before climbing through the ropes. “I’m ready.” I rolled my eyes. I was in a mood today, and having Dad on my ass was not helping.
I watched as he slipped his gloves on and climbed in. “You keep doing this, and you’re going to flame out.” He shook his head in frustration, I think.
“Doing what? I’m winning,” I mouthed back. I was being an asshole, I knew it, but I didn’t care.
“The staying out all night. The drinking. The fucking anything in a skirt. Did I miss anything?” Dad slammed his gloved hands together. “You’ve worked hard for this, and you’re throwing it away!” His voice boomed through the empty gym.
“I’m winning!” I barked back. He had a point, but I didn’t care.
All the things that he complained about, weren’t keeping me from winning. Winning was all that mattered. “What are we working on today?” I mocked as I finished gearing up, and shuffled to the center. I tipped my head to the side and smirked at him. I was being disrespectful, but Dad was in trainer mode, not parent mode, at least that’s what I thought.
Before I could duck out of the way, his right fist connected with my jaw. The padding protected me from the blow, but my entire body rocked to the side. He stepped back and lifted his chin as anger flashed in his eyes.
“What the fuck!” I spit my mouth guard out as I shook off the hit.
“You will not be a little punk to me,” Dad growled. “Do you understand? You show me some respect, or I’ll lay you out right here.” The words were garbled, but the look on his face said he wasn’t playing around.
I flashed a look of understanding in his direction as I picked up my mouth guard and popped it back in. I hit my gloves together and approached center ring. He nodded, tapped his hands against mine, and backed up. For an outsider, one would think that knowing his style would put me at an advantage. The only advantage I had was age. My dad was still in top physical condition, and he made sure I knew it.
He stormed back to the center, and took another swing, but this time spun and raked his leg under me, sending me to the mat. I landed on my ass, and Dad pounced. This was not training; this was me getting a lesson. Dad was showing me that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was.
I struggled, but he held me down, bending my body in ways that I’d never felt before. My muscles ached and began to cry out for relief. I glanced up at his face, and saw the fighter, not my dad. He tightened his hold on me, forcing me to tap out.
When my palm hit the mat, he released me and bounced back up to his feet. “What the fuck was that?” I ripped my gloves off and threw them at my bag.
“That was a professional showing you that you ain’t shit, boy. You want to be the best, start acting like it!” He removed his gear and climbed out of the ring. “Stop this all-night party crap.” He glared at me. “I’m not in the business to train a fighter like you, Easton. You have the makings to be great, but you don’t want to.” He shook his head in disgust.
“Bullshit I don’t want to!” I yelled. “I’ve spent my entire career in your shadow. I can’t even walk into the ring without my light shining on you.” I stabbed in his direction. “You’ve set impossible goals for me, and I can’t do it anymore.” I began shoving my gear into my bag. I was done. I needed to get away from here. I couldn’t be his student anymore. If I wanted to salvage the father/ son relationship, I needed to sever the trainer/ fighter one.
“What the hell are you talking about?” He actually looked hurt when he turned to face me.
“I mean, I need to leave,” I huffed. I was so worked up that I wanted to go full speed on a heavy bag at the moment. “I’ve been approached by three different trainers who want me. I’ve turned them down because I’m working with my dad, the best.” I lifted my arms, and let them fall as a breath escaped me. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t get better and earn my way if you’re always there. I need to go to another training facility and learn from someone else.” I lifted my bag onto my shoulder.
“Where are you going to go?” Dad took a few steps in my direction before he came to a sudden stop. “Your mother is going to have my balls for this.”
“I’ll talk to Mom,” I murmured.
“Where are you going?” Dad swallowed.
“New York. I’m going to call Carl from In10city Gym. He’s been blowing up my phone lately.” I stood there, staring at him. We both knew this was what was best, but I couldn’t get him to admit it.
“I’ll see ya around, Dad.” I waved as I walked past him and out to my car. The farther I moved away from McKay’s, the lighter I felt. It was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I pulled my phone from my bag, and hit Carl’s number.
“’low,” his gravelly voice came over the line.
“I did it. I’ll be there tonight.” I disconnected the line, and shoved my phone back in my bag. I needed to pack my things, and tell my mother goodbye. I’d been planning this for a while, but hadn’t worked up the nerve to do it. Guess staying out late last night gave me that push.
ooooooooo
The drive from Boston to New York City wasn’t a bad one, and I soon realized that Boston traffic had nothing on New York. I inched along as I attempted to find my way to my destination. It was early evening, and the sun was setting, making for a beautiful backdrop, but all I could think about was getting to the gym. Horns blared in the background, and people were everywhere.
When I finally reached the gym, I parked and grabbed my bag. I made my way inside and was greeted by the sounds of bags being pummeled and loud rock music blaring from the speakers.
“Can I help you?” a woman shouted from a desk near the front. She was dressed in red and black workout gear with In10city emblazoned across the chest.
“I’m looking for…” I started to answer when Carl came around.
“Easton! Welcome!” He waved as he made his way closer.
“Thanks.” I looked around at the gym. It was much bigger than McKay’s, and much more modern. Dad had always stressed to me that you didn’t need all the fancy equipment, you just needed a good sparring partner. He’s kept McKay’s in working order, but it was nothing compared to In10city.
“Let me show you around.” Carl waved for me to follow him. “This is our weight area.” He pointed to a room off to the side. Every kind of machine I’d ever heard of, and some I hadn’t, were lining the walls. A few fighters were lifting, and one waved when I stuck my head in. They were all dressed in the red and black garb.
“This is our treatment area.” There were several smaller rooms lining a wall. What looked like a steam room, several massage rooms, and then rooms set up to treat injuries. “Let’s hope you don’t need one of those.” Carl chuckled.
“I’ve always been told I’m pretty hard headed.” I tapped my skull, and my jaw ached from where I’d taken Dad’s hit earlier in the day.
“This is our sparring area.” Carl pointed to where two rings were set up and an actual cage. The size of this place was astounding. “There are bags back here, and then there is a food area upstairs.”
“Food area?” I wrinkled my forehead.
“Sometimes I require early workouts. The food bar offers healthy eating options and smoothies to keep energy up, and weight down.” His head nodded toward the scales. “I’m big on staying at the top of your weight class, but not going over.” He started walking again, this time going back to a room in the corner.
“This is my office. I’m here most days. If you ever need to talk to me about a workout, another fighter, anything… this is where you come. I expect you to be on time for our sessions. You’re not my only fighter, and tardiness is big with me. I expect you to keep yourself in shape and healthy. I expect you to be ready to work, and to follow my rules. I know you have some sponsors already, but we’re going to be looking for more. I need you to be on top of your game. What you do in your free time, is your business. I’m not in the business of babysitting. I’ve heard about your antics, Easton. Stay out of the press, and I don’t care what you do. I’m not your dad, I’m your trainer.” He pointed at me. “Go pick up some In10city gear from Shauna up front. You wear that for workouts now. Get some sleep and I’ll see you here at five sharp tomorrow.” Carl patted my shoulder, and then walked away.
I stood there for a few minutes, just taking it all in. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced, and I wondered why it had taken me so long to pull the trigger on this. Was it Dad, or was it me? I sent off a quick text to my mom, letting her know I arrived safely before following Carl’s orders. Shauna gave me several shirts and sets of shorts, and then I headed back out to my car. Carl had contacted one of the other fighters to secure lodging for me, but all I wanted to do was celebrate. Little did I know tha
t a celebration was already happening at my new residence.
ooooooooo
When I pulled up to the flat, there was music pumping through the walls. I checked the address on my phone to make sure I had the right place. It was late now, and the middle of the week. Who partied now?
I knocked on the door, and was met with who had to be my new host. “Easton? Come in. I’m Hunter.” He stepped back. “Your room is at the end of the hall.”
“What are we celebrating?” I laughed as I looked around. There were people everywhere.
“I won my last fight.” He held his arms up in celebration, a few tattoos peeking out in the process.
“Congrats.” I smiled as I moved to shake his hand. “Who’d you fight?”
“Jason Carver.” He puffed his chest out. “Main ticket fight.”
“Wasn’t that three days ago?” I shook my head.
“Yep. Still celebrating.” He laughed.
“Sweet.” I weaved through the crowd.
“Hope you like parties because we celebrate a lot here.” He handed me a beer.
“We’re going to get along just fine.” I clinked my bottle to his before taking a sip and slipping through the bedroom door. I set my bag down on the bed and sighed as I looked around. The room was tiny. The bed touched three walls, the closet was a little more than small hole in the wall, and the dresser only had two drawers. I could take three steps and get from one side of the room to the other. I was paying eight hundred a month to live in a shoebox.
I turned to open the door right as there was a knock. When I opened it, there was a girl standing there, smiling at me. “Hey.” I grinned.
“You’re Easy E.” She blinked up at me.
“Yes, I am. And you are?” I leaned against the jamb.
“I’m Dana.” She sipped something from a red cup.
“Nice to meet you.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “Let’s get to know each other better.” I began leading her away from my room and back out to the main part of the apartment. There was some kind of contest going on in the tiny kitchen, but I led Dana to the balcony. It was cooler outside, and I didn’t know most of the people here yet.
Broken Shadows (The Broken Series Second Generation Book 2) Page 3
